Nanotheranostics for gynecological cancers: a path forward for Africa.

Nanoparticle-based therapies represent a transformative approach to managing gynecological cancers, offering targeted treatment strategies that minimize harm to healthy tissues while maximizing therapeutic efficacy. Despite their potential, implementing these advanced treatments in Africa is needed by a complex interplay of technological, economic, regulatory, and ethical challenges. This paper examines the current landscape of nanoparticle-based therapies, identifying critical barriers to their adoption, including inadequate infrastructure, high costs, and insufficient regulatory frameworks.

Biopolymeric and lipid-based nanotechnological strategies for the design and development of novel mosquito repellent systems: recent advances.

Mosquitoes are the most medically important arthropod vectors of several human diseases. These diseases are known to severely incapacitate and debilitate millions of people, resulting in countless loss of lives. Over the years, several measures have been put in place to control the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases, one of which is using repellents.

A Cross-sectional Study on Effects of University Closure Due to Industrial Disputes on Pharmacy Students.

Objective: To assess the effects of the closure of universities due to industrial disputes on pharmacy students.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among third-year to final-year pharmacy students at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) from July to August 2023 using a 23-item structured self-administered questionnaire. Responses were analyzed using SPSS v27.

Non-technical skills training for Nigerian interprofessional surgical teams: a cross-sectional survey.

Introduction: Non-technical skills (NTS) including communication, teamwork, leadership, situational awareness, and decision making, are essential for enhancing surgical safety. Often perceived as tangential soft skills, NTS are many times not included in formal medical education curricula or continuing medical professional development. We aimed to explore exposure of interprofessional teams in North-Central Nigeria to NTS and ascertain perceived facilitators and barriers to interprofessional training in these skills to enhance surgical safety and inform design of a relevant contextualized curriculum.

Cognizance and mitigation of falsified immunization documentation: Analyzing the consequences for public health in Nigeria, with a focus on counterfeited COVID-19 vaccination cards: A case report.

Background And Aims: The global immunization campaign against COVID-19 has mandated vaccination certificates, leading to a surge in fake documentation. In Nigeria, the proliferation of counterfeit COVID-19 vaccination cards, facilitated by unscrupulous health workers, raises critical public health concerns. This research spotlights various forms of this malpractice, analyzes the factors contributing to the circulation of fake vaccination cards, their implications on public health, and provides recommendations for addressing the issue.

Impact of exposure to rational career reflective training on work-related ethics among student-philosophers.

Background: Teaching individuals at the early-career stage what and how to respect organizational codes of conduct is a good step in creating a democratic working environment. As a result, it is important to coach students in sustaining organizational well-being by seeking the truth, teaching the truth and upholding the truth. Currently, how these are taught in institutions of higher learning lacks structure.

Intervention for burnout and irrational beliefs in parents of couples seeking a divorce: A critical reflection of Igbo-African marital discord.

Background: Looking at the sociocultural dimension of marriage in the sub-region of Nigeria like Igbo, parents allow their sons and daughters to marry so that they can have homes. The expectation is for them to have permanent homes. If there is anything contrary to that such as divorce, parents usually frown at it.

Testing the impact of occupational intervention on professional ethics and values of Staff in University Medical Centers.

Background: The level of commitment to jobs is the driver of how much a worker could offer to those that need the services. People become poised to deliver services when they hold the job in high esteem. Evidence abounds that some workers in public services barely value their professional responsibilities and conduct.

Correlation Between Serum Prostate-Specific Antigen and Testosterone Following Bilateral Total Orchidectomy for Patients with Advanced Prostate Cancer in Jos, Nigeria.

Background: Prostate cancer is a common malignancy affecting men beyond the middle age. Monitoring of treatment of the disease using serum testosterone and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) offers an index of treatment efficacy and a reflection of disease progression, respectively. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between changing values of serum PSA and serum testosterone in patients with advanced prostate cancer following bilateral total orchidectomy (BTO).

Update on Wild Poliovirus Type 1 Outbreak - Southeastern Africa, 2021-2022.

Since the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) began in 1988, the number of wild poliovirus (WPV) cases has declined by >99.99%. Five of the six World Health Organization (WHO) regions have been certified free of indigenous WPV, and WPV serotypes 2 and 3 have been declared eradicated globally (1).

Nanotechnology based drug delivery systems for the treatment of anterior segment eye diseases.

Diseases affecting the anterior segment of the eye are the primary causes of vision impairment and blindness globally. Drug administration through the topical ocular route is widely accepted because of its user/patient friendliness - ease of administration and convenience. However, it remains a significant challenge to efficiently deliver drugs to the eye through this route because of various structural and physiological constraints that restrict the distribution of therapeutic molecules into the ocular tissues.

The Burden and Quality of life of Caregivers of Stroke Survivors with Cognitive Impairment in Selected Healthcare Facilities in Anambra State, Nigeria.

Objective: To determine the burden and quality of life of caregivers of stroke survivors with cognitive impairment in selected healthcare facilities in Anambra State, Nigeria.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey using the World Health Organization QOL-BREF and Caregiver Strain Index (CSI) as instruments. Descriptive statistics of frequency, percentage counts, mean and standard deviation were used to summarize the socio-demographics.

Development of lipid-based microsuspensions for improved ophthalmic delivery of gentamicin sulphate.

Anterior eye segment disorders are treated with eye drops and ointments, which have low ocular bioavailability necessitating the need for improved alternatives. Lipid microsuspension of gentamicin sulphate was developed for the treatment of susceptible eye diseases. Lipid microsuspensions encapsulating gentamicin sulphate were produced by hot homogenization and evaluated.

Intranasal artesunate-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers: A convenient alternative to parenteral formulations for the treatment of severe and cerebral malaria.

Early treatment with parenteral antimalarials is key in preventing deaths and complications associated with severe and cerebral malaria. This can be challenging in 'hard-to-reach' areas in Africa where transit time to hospitals with facilities to administer drugs parenterally can be more than 6 h. Consequently, the World Health Organization has recommended the use of artesunate (ATS) suppositories for emergency treatment of patients, however, this treatment is only for children under 6 years.

Evaluating Postgraduate Surgical Education Experience, Professional Satisfaction and Personal Well-Being: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Trainees in A Low-Middle Income Country in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: Education at the postgraduate level is important in grooming competent specialists in different fields of surgical care. This study aimed to evaluate the training experience, professional satisfaction, and personal well-being of postgraduate surgical residents in northern Nigeria.

Subjects, Materials And Methods: It was a cross-sectional survey of 157 medical doctors enrolled for a minimum of 6 months in surgical residency training in tertiary hospitals in the northern zone of the country.

Cryptorchidism in Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Lafia, Nigeria: Presentation, Management, and Outcome.

Objective: To determine the presentation, management, and outcome of cryptorchidism in Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Lafia, Nigeria.

Materials And Methods: This is a retrospective study conducted at Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Lafia, Nigeria. Information of patients who presented with cryptorchidism to the hospital from January 2015 to January 2020 was retrieved from the folders and analysed.

Retrograde ureteroscopy in the management of distal ureteric stones: A retrospective analysis of outcome and complications.

Background: Urinary stones affect 8%-15% of the world population. In Nigeria, contemporary reports have shown that the incidence of urinary stones is rising. The distal ureter has been described as the most common location of ureteric stones.

IPSE, an abundant egg-secreted protein of the carcinogenic helminth , promotes proliferation of bladder cancer cells and angiogenesis.

Background: the helminth causing urogenital schistosomiasis, is a known bladder carcinogen. Despite the causal link between and bladder cancer, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. oviposition in the bladder is associated with angiogenesis and urothelial hyperplasia.

Microemulsion-based approach for oral delivery of insulin: formulation design and characterization.

Oral delivery of insulin provides a good alternative because it is non-invasive and patient-friendly. However, multiple challenges affected this route. To overcome barriers for oral delivery of insulin, we aimed to develop a novel insulin-loaded microemulsion system based on snail mucin for oral administration.

An isolated testicular tuberculosis mimicking testicular cancer in north-central Nigeria.

Testicular tuberculosis (TB) is a rare presentation of extrapulmonary TB. A 46-year-old man presented to our Urology clinic with a painless swelling of the right testis. Examination revealed a hard, non-tender swelling on the inferior pole of the testis that measured 3 x 2 cm.